Nightswimming
by Groundis
Summary: Their home was in the stars. Their home was with each other. (Adult Content)


Nightswimming

Rejuvenating. That's how it felt to disappear into the woods, to lose himself amidst the forest for a couple hours, to breathe in the rich scent of the blossoming flowers and loamy earth and woody trees. The Academy was so stuffy. Between the mandatory uniforms and the oppressive layer of military that blanketed everything and everybody, it could really mess with your head, and have you dreaming in "no sirs" and "yes ma'ams". That was what made these sunset treks so precious to him. It was a chance to shrug off all that pomp, and escape for a few hours.

Well, it was that, and the partner that always came along with him.

Fox glanced over to his side as he hiked, catching a glimpse of the blue vixen that was walking alongside him. He couldn't help but let his lips twitch upwards, just a little bit. For the past few months, Krystal had joined him almost every time he'd ventured out to his secret spot. When they'd first met in their class flight simulators, they had been hyper-competitive with each other, hating each other's guts as they vied for that coveted spot of top pilot at the Academy. They'd fought tooth and nail for an hour in their dogfight, but neither had managed to gain the upper hand until their professor had finally declared their match a stalemate. It was the first time anybody had ever managed to go toe-to-toe with him in the cockpit, and it'd brought out his fighting spirit in all its fervor.

There was still plenty of competitiveness between the two of them these days, but it had morphed with time, transforming from animosity into curiosity, and eventually into a caring rivalry. His heart warmed, a flood of memories of the two laughing and talking, of them training together, of their late night study sessions all washed over him. These days, it seems like they spent more time together than apart.

He'd never been this happy about growing close to somebody before.

The day that had cemented their bond was the day that he'd decided to take her to his favorite spot on campus. It wasn't a restaurant or a library, however. It was a secluded spot buried deep in the underbrush of the woods, hidden away from anybody or anything that could possibly want his attention. It was his own, precious escape from the pressures of the Academy. He'd decided that he wanted to share it with her, and nobody else.

Krystal's ear flicked in the breeze, and she turned to face towards him, catching his eyes lingering on her. She smiled at him, that dazzling, stunning smile that always made her face so soft, her eyes so warm and vivacious. He blushed at being caught, but still returned her grin before looking away.

"We're almost there," Krystal spoke next to him, keeping her voice quiet to avoid disrupting the enchantment of birdsong and the humming breeze whistling around them. He made a small, affirmative noise back at her. They didn't end up talking much on these trips. It was a chance to avoid all the incessant gossip of campus. Out here, they could just enjoy each other's company, without all the pretense and drama. And there was nothing Fox enjoyed more than just spending time in the presence of the beautiful, magnificent vixen at his side. Of course, he couldn't admit how much he wanted to be with Krystal. She was only at the Academy because she'd been the top of her class on Cerinia, and had managed to transfer out to Corneria under very strict conditions. If he distracted her from her studies, not only could she have to return to Cerinia, but he could crush the vixen's dreams of being an ace pilot. And there was no way he could bear to hurt his best friend like that. So, he'd be happy with the way things were right now.

After half an hour of hiking into the woods, following a carefully disguised trail that he'd left for himself, the pair arrived at a dense tangle of branches and waxy leaves. To the casual observer, it looked like the end of the line, an impenetrable wall of nature. But they weren't casual observers. Krystal took a few steps to the side, moving over to a small patch of slightly discolored foliage. Fox eagerly, perhaps somewhat shamefully, lapped up the sight of Krystal bending down, admiring the way her sweat dampened t-shirt clung to her figure, hugging her narrow waist, revealing the weight of her full breasts. Fox looked away when she shuffled the leaves out of the way, unveiling a small passage that led further in. She looked back up at him from her knees, giving him a little smirk.

"Ladies first," she quipped, gesturing for him to proceed in front of her with a grand gesture. He rolled his eyes, but still chuckled at her joke.

"Absolutely. After all," he began, returning her grin and starting to clamber through the underbrush, "you're certainly no lady."

"Hey!" she called out behind him, gently smacking his back in pretend outrage, laughing along with him with that divine, musical voice of her. He could listen to her talk for hours, and hours, and hours and never once grow bored of her melodic accent.

After a few moments of crawling through the dirt, the pair emerged beyond the wall, stepping out into their secret spot. Fox let out a sigh of contentment, dropping his pack to the ground. It was a little oasis hidden in the middle of the forest. A serene, crystal clear pond sat in the middle of the space, its surface undisturbed and perfectly flat. The setting sun reflected its vibrant oranges and purples and pinks off the surface, like a canvas displaying a huge, shimmering painting. Around the edges were thick slabs of silver rock, with cool moss growing across the surface. Over time, bedrolls and blankets that they'd brought had accrued along the wall, eventually forming a small nest of pillows and cloth against a short stone face. Relaxation already started to seep through his muscles, working away at the baked-in tension of the last few weeks.

Next to him, arriving at their shared space seemed to be having a similar effect on the vixen. She dropped her pack as well, arching her back and popping a few vertebrae as she stretched. Her eyes shut tight, and her face scrunched up in concentration. Fox thought it was one of her cutest faces she made. Eventually, she let out a long breath, blinking a few times before looking back up at him again. Fox couldn't help but feel his breath hitch, just a little bit.

Each and every time they made eye contact, it somehow felt even more magical than the last. Her oceanic blue eyes weren't just bottomless, they were brimming with infinite mystery and energy and stories. Any time he looked into those big, blue eyes of hers, a swell of happiness bloomed in his heart. She made him feel unshackled from anything that might be bothering him at the time. Being close to Krystal, he knew that anything he wanted to do, she'd not only do alongside him, but she'd challenge him, and make him do it the best he could. She was his inspiration.

Krystal reached one hand out after a moment, taking his fingers in hers. He felt his muscles instinctively tighten at her incendiary touch, but he calmed himself as quickly as he'd grown anxious. They weren't together, despite what a certain pink feline liked to claim. Krystal was just his friend, albeit a closer friend than he'd ever had before. Maybe someday, things would change. After all, he'd known for a long time that... that he loved her. But he wasn't about to risk losing someone so wonderful with an ill-advised confession.

...Yet.

The vixen dragged him over to the back of the lake, towards their little den where they liked to lay down together. Sometimes they'd read, sometimes they'd tell jokes, and other times they'd simply fall asleep to the sound of the rustling leaves and the feel of the warm sun on their fur. Krystal scooped up both of their bags as she dragged him along, throwing them unceremoniously onto one of the pillows as she plopped down and curled up with her favorite blanket, a thick, dark orange comforter that she now had wrapped around herself. Her head poked out through the top of the wrapping, throwing him a goofy smile, beckoning for the tod to join her. He let out a small breath of laughter, eventually settling down next to her, and pulling a blanket of his own up over himself. Krystal let out a content hum, leaning back so that her head was resting on his arm. She had slipped a book out of her pack, but it was written in the flowing calligraphy of Cerinian, so he couldn't read it easily.

"Read it to me?" he asked, scooting in a little closer to her. She made a soft noise, agreeing.

"Sure," she said, clearing her throat once. "Cassandra reached out, pulling open the-" she began, but Fox cut her off quickly by shaking his head, her eyebrows knit in puzzlement.

"I... I like it better when you read in Cerinian," he explained, watching her eyes light up in delight at his words. She radiated happiness, gratitude and affection written in her expression. The vixen nuzzled up against his cheek, inspiring another wash of blood flooding into his ears and throat. She giggled, settling back in and focusing on her book.

"Sujjudthu housxot eik..." she said, letting the beautiful language roll off her tongue with transcendent effortlessness. Fox might have only picked up a word here and there that she had taught him so far, but hearing her enchanting voice speak her native tongue was one of the most peaceful experiences he'd ever had. The way the words lilted and vaulted, the sweeping emotion that she poured into every syllable, it enraptured the vulpine instantly. He leaned back a little further, letting the tapestry she was weaving settle over him, flooding him mind with nothing but her angelic voice.

He wasn't sure how long they stayed there, wrapped up in their blankets, feeling the cool autumn air rustle their fur, absorbed in their little world of stories. Was it minutes? Weeks? In the end, it didn't really matter. Whenever he lost himself in experiencing the vixen, he simultaneously lost track of all time and space, instead just letting the blue fox become his entire universe.

However, eventually, he was bubbled out of his reverie by the vixen laying her book down beside her, the pages fluttering in the wind. He blinked a couple times, bringing himself back to reality. Fox peered up at her, and saw the vixen beginning to rise to her feet, brushing a few fallen leaves off of herself. She turned back to face Fox. A grin tugged the corners of her mouth upwards, but... there was something else hidden behind her smile. Something mischievous, and sly. Fox's heart fluttered a little when he saw it. He loved Krystal's playful side, even if it did tend to end up with him doing something some silly to show off, or getting flustered, or both.

"Lets swim for a little, Foxy-Woxy," she said, reaching both hands out and helping drag him to his feet. Fox arched an eyebrow at her even as he was lifted up, his cozy blanket falling around his ankles.

"I didn't bring my swimsuit with me, though," he said, growing increasingly suspicious of the sneaky glint in her eye. She spun on her heel, her tail whisking around behind her, arched proud and high as she strutted over to her pack. For a moment, he thought she was going to dig her suit out of the bag, but instead she simply shrugged off her light jacket, tossing it over her stuff. As the garment fell away, it revealed her simultaneously lithe and powerful arms. They were light and smooth, but the definition of strong muscles lay just underneath the surface. She'd been under just as strenuous training as he had, and it showed in everything from her arms that could easily take him in a fight, to those endlessly long, toned legs that he actively had to stop himself from running a hand along.

Krystal giggled a little as she tossed a long look at him over her shoulder. Fox gulped, holding her gaze. Something was different. Krystal's eyes were always a puzzle that he relished getting to lose himself in, but now, something new was burning behind her cerulean irises. Something that stirred the butterflies in his stomach. She spun back around to face him, and suddenly, he was keenly aware of the lightness of her current clothing. A tight, grey t-shirt that dipped down to reveal the slightest hint of her cleavage, that hugged the curves of her slender waist. A pair of green shorts that only came to the middle of her calf.

 _God, she's gorgeous._

He meant it, too. Her silky white and blue fur, her violet locks of hair, the way she carried herself with a swirling mixture of power and grace, it all made her look like she was a goddess, trapped on this planet amidst mortals that could never even approach her beauty. Fox felt a bead of sweat form on the back of his head, his body heating up for every extra second her spent admiring his best friend. Of course, as was so often the case between the two of them, his thoughts were dashed to pieces by a few unimaginable words from the vixen.

"No swim suit?" she smirked. "What, are you not wearing boxers?"

Fox's heart froze. What did she just say? Was she suggesting what he thought she was?

"W-what?" he managed to stutter out, barely giving a voice to his now pounding heart.

She giggled again, but now the sound only made him more excited, his pulse beat even quicker.

"We go to a military academy, Foxy," she started, taking a few slow steps toward him. Fox held his ground, holding still until she was brushing up against him. "I know seeing someone in their underwear isn't a big deal."

"Yeah, but..." he started, his voice fading into silence, unable to finish his sentence.

 _But it's never been you before._

Krystal smiled a little at him, the mischief only flaring brighter behind her eyes. "Don't you trust me, Foxy?" she asked innocently, rocking back onto her heels and up on her toes. Her batting eyelashes still managed to get a chuckle out of him, despite everything. And yet, her question still struck home, resonating in his heart. His answer was instinctual, immediate, flowing from his lips before he could consider any of the consequences.

"I trust you more than anybody, Krystal."

The words hung in the air between the two of them, each shocked by the sincerity that he'd put behind them. Even Fox was surprised by just how earnest and immediate that answer had been. It was like a reflex. Krystal stopped in her tracks for just a moment, processing the serious response that she hadn't anticipated. Her breath caught, and her lips were stuck slightly apart. She composed herself once she'd had time to reboot, closing her lips into a caring smile. The vixen leaned up onto her toes, nuzzling against the tod's temple slightly in appreciation.

"Well in that case," she said, a little laughter in her voice upon seeing Fox squirming in excitement and nervousness, "I doubt that a pair of boxers will change that. Yes?"

Fox shook his head, but he couldn't hide the smile on his lips. Was he actually about to do this? Was this actually about to happen, right here, right now, with the blue fox that he'd dreamed and fantasized about every night for the past months? Part of him couldn't believe it, but then, there was another part of him that felt perfectly comfortable with this. Like it was the natural course of events. And, by some miracle, that bold part of his brain was the side that won the war. He gave her a cocky, goofy, wide smile, leaning back into her and nuzzling into her cheek. The heavenly, heady scent of her lavender perfume wafted into his nose, making his eyes roll back in pleasure. The rational segment of his brain was astounded with how bold he was being around her right now, persistently trying to remind himself of how flustered and shy he should be. He threw that part of his mind away for the time being.

"I guess that's true," he said, pulling back from her. "It's a good thing I didn't wear my boxers with little hearts on them today."

Krystal couldn't restrain a loud laugh at that, the lovely sound only making his grin more crooked, more heartfelt. She took a few steps back, still giggling to herself, turning to face away from him. Fox could've sworn that he heard her take a deep breath, perhaps trying to catch her breath after a laughing fit, or maybe steeling herself for what came next. Either way, Fox bit his bottom lip, knowing what he'd just committed to, but somehow, only feeling confident.

Slowly, Krystal reached both hands down to the bottom of her shirt, playing with the hem, rolling and pinching the fabric between her fingers. Achingly, teasingly, she began to inch her top up, revealing centimeter by centimeter of her thin, curvy waist. Her tail flicked excitedly as the clothing moved further and further up, eventually making his heart skip a beat when the thing black lace of her bra came into sight. After a few moments, the vixen finally lifted her shirt over her head, leaving her torso wonderfully exposed, save the few black straps running across her back.

Fox's muzzle was stuck open, staring at the gorgeous sight in front of him. She was more beautiful than he'd ever imagined. The bare curves of her hips and waist, the backs of her two heavy breasts hanging plump beyond the edge of her chest, just barely visible between her powerful shoulder blades and arms, all of it wonderfully visible in the setting sun's light. It was everything Fox had to do not to step up behind her, and run his hands along her sides, to reach around her front and take those two breasts in his hands like he'd only dreamt of doing.

She tossed him a teasing look over her shoulder, biting her lip, holding her arms perfectly to block his view of her chest. Fox desperately tried not to look as aroused as he actually was, but he didn't do as ideal a job as he'd hoped. A light blush washed over Krystal's cheeks, but the smile on her lips let the vulpine know that she didn't mind him watching. A moment later, the vixen's hands moved down to her shorts, slowly undoing the buckle that held her belt on. With a soft metallic clink, she slid the belt off from around her waist, tossing it to the ground atop her jacket and shirt. Fox's ears fluttered at the sound of a button popping open, and with another, more confidently teasing look over her shoulder, Krystal bent down in front of him, slipping her shorts down painfully slowly over her every curve. Fox's eyes went wide as they slid down over her rear, unveiling her heart-shaped backside, round and firm, hidden by a translucent pair of black panties and nothing else. The shorts tumbled down around her ankles, now leaving her completely bare in front of him, save the thin coverings of two pieces of lace.

Fox's brain had long since ceased any function that wasn't admiring the goddess that had just stripped down in front of him. He'd never seen anybody so lovely before. Once she'd kicked the shorts away from around her ankles, she turned back around to face him, dressed in only a bra and panties. This was an image that Fox would never let go of, for the rest of his life. Her chest was a flawless canvas of white surrounded by deep oceanic blue, like a perfect floe of ice surrounded by a glittering sea. Krystal's arms squeezed her chest together, making her two taut breasts mouth-wateringly perky and full. The small black bra around her chest could barely contain the two swells of her bust, the cups baring a deep valley of cleavage and only just hiding away the two perky bumps underneath. Her stomach and abdomen were defined, toughened by months spent in the gym. She had wide, swaying hips, tapering down into powerful calves and legs that he knew could dance, could run, could jump. All Fox could do was stare in wonder, committing every inch of her body to memory.

"You're... you're beautiful, Krystal."

Krystal's blush warmed as she stood there in her lace, looking down and away with a bashful smile. "I... thank you, Fox," she said, her voice cracking just a little. Her expression was sheepish, but he could see rosy love and relief behind it. After a moment though, she struck a firm pose, putting her hands on her hips, making him swoon when the motion made her breasts bounce in place. "Now hurry up, I want to go swimming," she teased the tod.

Fox chuckled, shuffling his feet in place. "Alright, alright," he consented. Now, it was his turn to take the hem of his shirt in his hands, but he paused for just a moment before lifting it up.

 _I'm actually about to do this. I'm about to undress in front of Krystal... and I can't wait._

With one quick breath to steel his bravery, he worked his shirt up, lifting it past his abs and chest. Krystal's eyes widened the longer she watched him. Eventually, he passed the shirt over his eyes, and once he was beyond the curtain again, he stood there with his top totally bare. He tossed the shirt to one side, hearing it flutter to the ground. A cool breeze sent a shiver down his spine, making his fur fluff. Fox risked one glance up at the vixen, and he wasn't disappointed. He grinned, seeing Krystal squirm in place, trying not to look like she was staring. Fox could feel her eyes slipping across his body, and despite her best efforts, she was eating up the sight of his bare body as much as he had enjoyed hers. The hungry look in her eyes buoyed his confidence, giving him the surge of certainty that he needed.

Quickly, Fox spun on his heel, letting his tail bat against the vixen's muzzle. He chuckled when she recoiled just a bit, blinking in surprise. Her light giggle came from behind him once he turned back around, but the vulpine was already getting ready for the next step. He fumbled with his belt and button for just a moment, eventually managing to undo them both. He stared for just a moment at his shorts, opened up, his grey boxers visible now past the zipper. Still riding the surge of confidence Krystal had given him, he took the waist of his shorts in hand, and just as teasingly as she had slid her shorts down, he decided to give her a little show as well. He slipped the fabric over his hindquarters millimeter by millimeter, watching her feet shuffle anxiously between his legs. Eventually, he finally dropped the garment down, feeling it collect at his feet. Fox stood back up, kicking his shorts away, now standing in nothing but his bare fur and light boxers. He turned to face back towards the vixen, who was somehow composed, albeit with a flush of red in her ears and throat.

 _This is... something else. I can handle this. It's not going to go further than this._

It turns out that Krystal would prove him wrong before too long. The butterflies fluttering in his stomach were in stark contrast to just how calm Krystal looked. Her lips were pressed into a small, coy smile, while her eyelids were half closed, as if she were sizing him up somehow. Even now, even with the two of them mere feet apart in nothing but their undergarments, she managed to be as cool and mysterious as ever. She spoke after a moment, crossing her arms in a way that made her bosom strain even more against its restraints, the cups of her bra slipping down dangerously close to revealing the twin buds beneath.

"See?" she purred, stepping in even closer to him, letting her tail flick around and tap against his. "A pair of boxers didn't bring the world down."

Fox smirked, stepping into her in return. "I guess you were right. As usual." But underneath, he knew that was a lie. He knew something was happening here. A tickling feeling poked and prodded in the back of his head that something was going to happen tonight that would change everything.

He couldn't have known just how right he was.

"Well then," she said, spinning away from him and taking the first few steps into the chilled lake water. Ripples propagated away from her across the lake's pristine surface, forming concentric circles radiating from two long legs. Her tail flicked eagerly from side to side, partially due to the cold water, but mostly because of what she knew would come next. "Let's go swimming." With that, the gorgeous vixen waded out into the lake. But she had one last trick up her sleeve.

When the water was about up to her calves, Krystal did something that he never could've anticipated. Almost so slowly that Fox didn't notice, the vixen reached around to her back without ever breaking stride. Eventually, her hands came to a rest over the simple metal clasp holding her bra on. Fox's heart stopped, realizing what she was about to do. In one quick, fluid motion, Krystal released the small buckle of her bra. The two straps over her shoulders instantly slackened, slipping up and out of sight as she shrugged it off. Her flawless back was now totally, completely bare, her sapphire blue fur running uninterrupted from the hem of her panties all the way up to her artfully sculpted neck and shoulders. A moment later, the fragile garment fluttered away from her figure entirely, leaving her top half totally, divinely nude. Fox clenched his hands at his sides, the swells of her weighty, snow-white breasts visible from behind as they hung free in the air, swaying and bouncing barely into view with every step she took into the water.

As if that wasn't enough to send the poor vulpine off the deep end, once the water had finally risen up to her waist, Krystal paused her advance momentarily. She lowered herself down into the water, letting it rise up past her stomach and chest, until only her neck and head were still visible above the waterline. Below, all he could make out was her body distorted and obscured by the pond's ripples, a shimmering painting of blues and whites, and perhaps an arousing, brief flash of pink at the tips of her breasts. She shifted while still resting in the water, and after a moment of negotiation, the vixen lifted her hand out of the water, dragging her thin, soaked panties out with her. Fox's eyes went wide at the sight of the vixen tossing her panties away, letting them float on the lake's surface near her similarly discarded bra. The beautiful vixen was now, impossibly, completely, divinely naked, her body hidden just beneath the pond's surface. Only a few inches of rippling water hid her nude body from his wide eyes, nothing except the lake covering her chest or between her legs now.

Fox could only watch in astonishment as she waded out deeper and deeper, until she could stand up in the water and still be hidden up to her collarbone. It was only then that she turned around, finally making eye contact with him. He couldn't even pretend to still be composed any longer, and he held her gaze with equal parts astonishment, arousal, confusion, and eagerness. A million emotions were sprinting through his head, all of which were in open conflict with one another. Questions and klaxons blared in his mind. Each and every one of them fell silent, however, when Krystal raised one hand out of the water at him. She blinked innocently at him a few times, her lips pursed into a suggestive pout, and with one finger, beckoned for him to join her.

Fox was frozen in place despite the vixen's request, his feet planted firmly on the shore. Playing along and flirting with the vixen was exhilarating. They'd danced around each other for months now, wrapping themselves up in their intricate waltz of teasing. But this was a stick of dynamite that Krystal had just tossed onto their ballroom floor. Time had frozen for the tod, the entire world fading away except for himself and his best friend. He couldn't count the number of times he'd laid awake at night, restless, imagining this exact scenario. Now that it was here, in real life, how was he supposed to proceed? What was he supposed to do? What was he going to say?

For what felt like an endless infinity of lifetimes, he sat stock still on the rocky ground, paralyzed by questions. And yet… undercutting all of those thoughts and doubts and fears and hopes was something else. Something that Fox couldn't give words too. Somewhere deep down inside the tod, he felt a magnetic pull towards that beckoning vixen. It wasn't based in his rational brain, or even in anything subconscious. This was a primal, basic attraction he was feeling towards Krystal, as if this exact moment had been written in the laws of physics themselves. A small kindling of hope, of love, of joy sparked in his heart, making his heart race.

 _Maybe it doesn't matter what I think, or what I question. Maybe… maybe I'm just supposed to be here. I'm supposed to go to her._

As if in response to his revelation, Fox realized he could feel his own feet stepping forwards, finally giving into that cosmic, fundamental tug he'd always felt towards Krystal, but had always tried to beat down and ignore. Cold water splashed between his toes as he took one step into the water, and then another, and then another until he was submerged to his knees in their secret, secluded pond. The entire time, he couldn't tear his eyes off of her, and she held his gaze with something that wasn't quite confidence. He could tell that she was under the same spell that he was. She didn't look at him with confidence, but with something more certain than that. As if it had never even occurred to her that he could refuse her. Krystal stared up at him with love, and wonder, and belief. And really, had they ever felt anything else about each other? Since the day he had met her, she had always been a constant in his life. A constant rival and challenge at first, and then a constant and steadfast friend, and now… And now a partner. Forever. Fox saw all of that in her enchanting eyes, large and endless and mystifying and so, so comforting.

Before Fox knew it, he found himself face to face with Krystal, water lapping at both of their chests, each only a few electric inches away from the other. For a long minute, all they could do was lose themselves in each other's gazes, always managing to get lost on the way on the way out of each other's eyes. Beyond any doubt, more than anybody else in the universe, Fox loved this blue fox. His blue wonder. His Krystal.

 _I love you._

The three words drifted faintly through the back of his head, but he instantly knew that it was true. He loved her. Just thinking the words made his smile grow. Fox loved this beautiful, spectacular, goofy, silly, mischievous wonder. Fox couldn't help but crack a toothy, sideways smile at the vixen at that thought. His own jubilant expression seemed to snap her out of her reverie. A smile blossomed on her face, just as excited as his own. The adorable blush glowing in her ears suddenly seemed extremely prevalent, and he finally realized that he was blushing like a madman as well. Not that it mattered. Maybe he was embarrassed beyond all belief, but that feeling couldn't hold a candle to how overwhelmingly perfect this current moment felt. Now that he was face to face with Krystal, his goddess, now stripped down into nothing but her bare fur in their shared, special place, nothing could ever feel quite so perfect as this. He risked one more glance downwards, now able to more clearly see her naked curves, her two heavy breasts that were barely submerged just below the surface, the fuzzy image of her thighs meeting in a wonderful, perfect V that he wanted nothing more than to tease and pleasure. But more than anything, he was simply happy to be here with Krystal, experiencing as much of life as he could alongside her.

"Well…" he started, looking around himself, pretending to think for a long second. After a moment, he arrived at his profound conclusion, sharing it with the vixen. "We're swimming."

She giggled at his astounding observation, shaking her head. Krystal moved in close to the vulpine, draping both of her arms lightly around his neck, bringing their noses together so they touched together lightly. Her breasts pressed up against the front of his chest, sending an ecstatic shudder down his spine at feeling the two firm, pillowy mounds flattening against his torso, her perky twin tips digging into his fur. She laid her hips flat up against his, only the thin fabric of his boxers separating the two of them from being completely bound together. She gave him a carefree, content look, humming slightly in the back of her throat, as if she were making an important decision. But he already knew where this was going. And he had no objections. Without missing a beat, the two foxes leaned into one another, their eyelids fluttering closed as they finally locked into their first, explosive kiss.

Fireworks detonated in Fox's mind at the feeling of his lips against Krystal's. Soft, warm, full, but still just as teasingly playful as she always was. All other thoughts screeched to a halt as he tasted his beautiful vixen, sweet in his mouth. Their first kiss was tender, a slow release of the months of pent up passion that they had both denied so vehemently. He drew her in tighter, wrapping his own arms around her waist while he locked their kiss in even deeper, losing himself in being closer to Krystal than he'd ever been in his whole life. They both let out a pair of soft moans at the same time, as pleasure diffused from tingling lips into every corner of their thoughts.

After a long moment, their lips molded together again, this time with more ferocity and hunger behind it, more desperation for a second sample of their partner. Krystal's claws dug into his shoulders, and her lips pressed more forcefully against his. Fox returned their embrace with as much vigor, groaning a little at the flood of sensations that were running rampant in his mind. Krystal took advantage of his little noise, yanking him in and storming his mouth with her tongue, quickly dueling his into submission. Fox jumped a little in surprise, but went back on the offensive, growling as the two coupled together with more urgency than before. The feel of her tongue against his in fervent need, her lips forming over and over against his in starving hunger, her body pressed flat against his in dire, fundamental need. Fox lost himself in all of it. He unlocked the gates of their mental bond, letting all the love and lust and devotion the two of them shared swirl and crash between their shores. For just a moment, the two of them morphed into one, their needs the same, their desires the same. The wanted each other. They needed each other.

Unfortunately, they also needed oxygen, and so after minutes spent in their ferocious embrace, the two finally pulled away, panting heavily and shaking with ecstasy. They didn't dare decouple from each other, so for a few seconds, all they could do was hold each other tight, and breathe as the reality of their current arrangement sank in. Krystal was naked. Krystal was wrapped around him. Krystal and he had just shared the kiss to end all kisses. And, judging by Krystal's expression, it seemed as though a similar set of realizations were setting in for her.

When Fox finally met her gaze again, he found the vixen staring him down with nothing but pure, unfiltered lust. A low, deep growl formed in the back of her throat. She tightened her grip around him, keeping his arms pinned to his sides. After another second, she leaned forward, making Fox melt into her arms when she ran her soft, warm tongue up the side of his throat, dominantly marking her territory for the entire world to see. Even if Fox had wanted to protest, he couldn't have. All of his motor functions were shutting down at the shocking, primal pleasure pulsing across his skin wherever her gentle tongue ran. She licked once more over his temple, and then again over the side of his muzzle. The blue fox pulled back after that, admiring her handywork with another satisfied rumbling in her chest.

"Not quite, Fox," she said, her voice, low, sultry, and seductive. The glint in her eye was primal. They were both running on pure instinct now. "One of us is swimming. The other is skinny dipping. I'm going to fix that." Before Fox had a chance to process Krystal's assertion, the vixen had already released her hold on him, and had dove underwater, dipping below the surface. The tod's eyes went wide when he realized what was about to happen, but he was too late to do anything except brace.

In a single, fluid motion, Krystal's hands placed themselves on either side of his last remaining garment and whisked them off his legs, leaving him to gasp at the twin sensations of cold water rushing past his manhood, and the feeling of his proud member finally springing free of its prison, bobbing tall and erect underwater. He could practically hear Krystal purr loudly to herself, admiring his now exposed, eager maleness as she locked her arms around his legs. A moment later, Fox let out a loud, staggering moan as he felt Krystal's lips suckle at the tip of his cock, closing herself around it as quickly as she could manage. Fox instinctively bucked his hips forwards as Krystal started to bob her head between his legs, his fists clenching into her hair at the mind-numbing feeling of his considerable, twitching length gliding in and out of her mouth, all the while as she caressed and rolled his orbs around in her hands. The vixen pulled away from his length after a few repetitions, choosing instead running her tongue all the way up from his balls, to the base of his shaft and up to his sensitive tip. Fox let out a stream of curses at the feeling of the love of his life licking and sucking at his cock, pleasure rocking through his entire core, boiling his blood with pure animal need.

After a few more moments of this, the vixen finally surfaced for air, a deep, gasping breath filling her lungs as thin streams of water ran down her hair and chest. Fox was breathing heavy as well, still on cloud nine as she caught her breath. However, before Fox had a chance to fully reboot his system, he felt the vixen smashing her lips against his own, nearly crushing him in her iron embrace. Her tongue stormed his mouth, desperate for relief and satisfaction. She wrapped her legs around him, grinding her hips against his in zealous need. Her lips formed against his over and over and over, nearly snarling through their embrace. Fox didn't need to be a genius to get her less-than-subtle hints.

He pushed back against the vixen, fighting with her tongue, offering the friction she so desperately desired. While they were locked into their frantic kiss, Fox negotiated himself around, managing somehow to unhook her legs from around his and rope their hips together. With another shudder of pleasure, and a short whimper from the vixen, he could feel the tip of his length prodding at her entrance. He looked up, catching eyes with her for just a moment before he proceeded. She nodded quickly at him, her breath coming in eager, halting pants. That was all that he needed to see.

The both of them let out a loud, unabashed moan together as Fox finally pressed forward, pushing upwards against her slit until his length slipped inside her depths. Fox bit his lip at the feeling of the vixen's walls clamping down on him, already begging for him to slide in even further. The vixen's face contorted in pleasure, her arms transformed to solid steel around his neck at the sensation of her love stretching her, filling her. Instinctively, Fox bucked his hips backwards, pulling out to her entrance again before lunging himself back in, this time even deeper, more frenzied than before. The vixen let out a sharp cry at the feeling of Fox plunging inside of her, and Fox cursed in delight at the resistance that her passage put up against him. The vixen clung tight to him, her teeth gritted as waves of pleasure slammed into her mind. She panted heavily, her hot breath stirring the fur on Fox's cheek. Never before had anything felt as incredible, as perfect as this did.

Through his panting, through losing himself in the consuming pleasure of finally being with Krystal, Fox was still in awe of this loving, stunning vixen. He fell into the rhythm of a lustful haze as she rolled her hips back down onto his manhood over and over again, his eyes clenching shut only to burst wide open with every thrust into her depths. His vision slipped down, absorbed in how breath-taking she was. Her fluffy, generous breasts bounced with every thrust, their girth breaking the surface of the lake, her perky pink tips flashing in the open air. Fox reached one hand out, cupping one in his hand, earning a renewed, pleasured whimper from the vixen as he kneaded it in his hand, feeling the supple flesh in his fingers. He pounded in and out of the vixen again and again, their entire world morphing into a hazy collage of moans, gasps, intimacy, and carnal, emotional euphoria.

Even though he couldn't see below the water line, he could still tell just how close Krystal was coming to edge after a few endless minutes of passion that they'd shared. Her breath came in faint, hitched spikes, her whole body shook with each roll of their hips. Krystal tensed and constricted around him, her warm, wet depths providing a head-spinning contrast against the cold pond with every repetition. Part of Fox's mind still couldn't believe just how close they were right now. This woman who had once been his rival was now somebody who he couldn't imagine life without. This vixen who had been there for him through every grueling workout and every frustrating study session was somebody who he would lay his life down for. Fox couldn't help but smile, even through the strenuous activity, even as his ears were hit with the intoxicating sound of her blissful moans as he slipped deep in between her legs. This woman was the only person he would ever love with this much pure devotion. Fox pulled his vixen in close, hugging her tight, feeling her hot, damp fur mix with his as he grunted, bucking upwards again. Krystal whimpered into his ear, hugging him close as he pushed her right up to the brink.

"P-please…" Fox heard quietly in his ear, the vixen's voice cracking and labored. Fox's heart skipped a beat at hearing her, begging him for the release she was so close to. The tod licked over the side of her cheek. He would be happy to oblige.

Fox pulled back one more time, giving Krystal just a moment to breathe before he thrust himself back in, this time unceremoniously pounding himself all the way up to the hilt, feeling his balls slap against her trembling thighs in the cold lake water. That was all that Krystal could take. The vixen let out a piercing scream as she finally hit her climax, her walls gripping Fox's length like an iron clamp, doing everything she could to milk him of his essence. Fox grunted at the sensation, so deliriously, overwhelmingly pleasurable that it left him seeing stars. Sparks darted across his darkened vision as Krystal rode out her orgasm, her arms and legs clinging to the one person who meant everything to her. He subconsciously reached one hand out, diving it underwater to rub and stimulate her sensitive button, earning a renewed cry from Krystal as her pleasure blazed even brighter, hotter at his explosive touch.

Unfortunately, that was the final straw for the vulpine's stamina as well. His thrusts grew more and more erratic with every wave of Krystal's orgasm, her moans and screams like music to his ears. Fox bit his bottom lip, but eventually, he couldn't hold out any longer. With a sharp, satisfied moan, his back arched, curling over the vixen as bliss detonated in his head. He dug his nails into the vixen's back, hearing the revived, pleasured moans from his partner as he flooded her passage with his hot, sticky seed, slamming his throbbing manhood in as far as he could manage out of innate drive and instinct, continuing to massage her button in uneven strokes as he rode out his own roller coaster. After a few unending seconds of indescribable euphoria, seeing and hearing a feeling nothing but explosive pleasure, his climax ebbed, finally loosening its death grip on his steeled muscles, letting him free the vixen from his grip. Krystal had no intention of releasing him, however, and she still trapped him in her arms as her frenzy continued.

Fox wasn't sure how long he spent with the vixen locked around him, battering at her sensitive spot, feeling her walls buck and clasp around his pulsing manhood, but eventually, the vixen's arms slackened around his neck. She took another gasping breath when she had regained use of her lungs, falling forwards onto the tod, feeling full and complete with his maleness spreading her, and his warm essence filling her. Krystal's head came to a rest on his shoulder. He couldn't help but chuckle, feeling her ample bust cushioned against his chest, having to catch her before she could sink underwater. Fox supported her in his arms, holding her close by the waist. Krystal moaned absently when he slid his hilted manhood inch by inch out of her depths. He popped free a moment later, with a sharp breath from them both. Fox chuckled, holding the vixen's limp, nude, panting figure against his chest. He moved her around in his arms so he was carrying her bridal style. She buried her muzzle into the soft fur of his chest, her two plush breasts rising and falling regularly, the soft swells of her rear grinding up against his twitching maleness. Now wasn't the time for him to worry about that though. Fox gave her a soft smile, planting a tiny kiss on her lips. She did her best to return the gesture, but Krystal was still lightheaded in her afterglow, so she mostly just murred in his arms. His heart swelled the longer he watched her snuggled into him. Fox pulled her into a second, deeper kiss, and this time she was able to push back with more vigor, playfully biting at his upper lip when he was pulling away.

"How about we get back to shore and dry off?" he asked, willing to bet the vixen wasn't going to be swimming laps for at least a few more minutes. He smiled when Krystal nodded, adjusting her grip around his neck so he could carry her out. Fox rolled his eyes, but his wide, goofy smile made it more than clear that he was willing to cart her all around campus; all she would have to do was say the word.

Carefully, he hefted the vixen up in his arms, letting his nose bump against hers while he treaded out of the water. The water receded down to his chest, and then his waist, and then finally only seeping between his toes. He heard Krystal hum in appreciation with her muzzle buried in his fur. The tod winced, however, when his hitchhiker wiggled her rear back and forth slightly in his arms, grinding a few times on his still aching pride. He could've sworn that he heard the blue fox let out a devilish little snicker when his member twitched, swelling back up to attention. Clearly, she was close to being back to normal.

After another few steps, Fox bent down, lowering his passenger onto her favorite blanket, carefully sliding a pillow beneath her head as she came to a rest. When the vulpine got back on his feet, he let out a pleasant hum of his own. For months, he was sure that he would only be able to fantasize about slipping off her clothes in his mind, dream of being able to give her every single sensational pleasure that he could come up with. Now that she was here in person, he knew that none of those fantasies could even approach this current image.

She laid peacefully amongst their accumulated pillows and blankets, almost looking as if she could be asleep. Her slender hands were resting beneath her head in support, and her defined legs were folded up close to herself for warmth. Her chest rose and fell every few seconds now that her heart beat had stabilized. Each breath shook the beads in her thick, rich violet hair. Her face was free from the lines of stress or concentration that they both wore so frequently during training, instead, leaving behind a blissful, carefree expression that was solely absorbed in appreciating what they had right this moment. Krystal's powerful arms didn't quite manage to hide the full curve of her bust, her teardrop breasts hanging free in the air. Her bare chest and stomach curved gracefully into her legs, and her dancer's feet. Now that the sun was moments from vanishing behind the horizon, her cerulean coat radiated vibrant shades of deep purples, royal blues. Her white markings were all tinged with a hue of pink and orange, like a soft fire was burning just beneath the surface of her skin. Fox stood over her for a long minute, committing this single, perfect picture to his memory. And when he was done, all he could do was smile.

Fox lowered himself down onto his hands and knees, crawling up next to the blue form resting on the ground. At first his hand hesitated to reach out to her, but her quickly realized how silly that was, after what they had just gone through. So he swallowed his nerves, choosing instead to loop his hands around her torso, and pull her back into his chest. Her body heat radiating into his soaked fur earned a happy sigh from his lips. He didn't know how long they laid there together. He could've been happy sleeping all night on their blankets with her, with nothing separating them except their own fur. But Krystal had other plans.

Fox's ears fluttered when he heard the vixen murmur something in his arms. He blinked a few times, unable to make out what she'd said.

"What was that?" he whispered, trying not to break the spell that had been cast over them both. The vixen shuffled in his arms in response, eventually managing to turn around to face him, her huge, limpid eyes taking up his entire field of view.

"You enjoy listening to me speak Cerinian, right?" she asked softly, bringing on hand up and trailing it through the tufts of his cheeks. He gave her a soft, affirmative noise in response. Fox didn't know where she was going with this, but the rest of the night had gone perfectly under her direction, so he didn't want to interrupt. She idly combed through his fur a few more times, continuing, seeming to think to herself momentarily.

Krystal shifted on their blankets again, this time getting up on her knees and moving over him until she was straddling his torso. "In that case, I have some Cerinian for you, Fox." She gave him a long, content, genuine smile as she said the words, packed with enough sincerity that it even managed to make him pause underneath her.

 _A celo yei._

He heard the words float through his mind as the vixen closed her eyes, tapping into their mental link and sending the short sentence to him telepathically. He couldn't understand the words directly, but from the sheer force behind them, from how much adoration and devotion she packed into every syllable, Fox's eyes couldn't help but widen in surprise.

"Krystal…" he began, but was soon hushed by her reopening her eyes, looking down at him with tears in her eyes, and a small, joyous smile on her lips. Fox reached one hand up to wipe away her tears, and she placed her hand over his, leaning into it.

"Before I knew you, Fox, I thought I had everything," she started, taking both of his hands in hers, letting a few more happy teardrops land into their cupped palms. "I was a sharp student, and a gifted pilot. Despite not being Lylatian, I'd still made it into the Academy. I had a plan, and I thought it was going to be great… But then I met you."

She removed one of her hands from his, instead bringing it up to run through his thick white hair. "I hated you at first, Fox McCloud. I despised you, and I didn't even know why. I told myself it was because you were my only competition at this school, but that wasn't true. It was because I saw so many similarities between the two of us. I saw a person who was doing whatever it took to be the best. But…" she trailed off, losing her voice momentarily. She regained it once he took her hand in his, bringing it to his mouth and placing a soft kiss on her fingers, giving her the courage to continue. She let out a short breath, nodding that she would proceed. "But, I could tell that you weren't truly happy. You had a plan, just like I did, but who had given you that plan? Your parents, your school, the whole world had already decided who you were, and you had told yourself that's what you wanted too. But you didn't. And that's when I realized, maybe I didn't want my plan either. I hated you for making me question my whole reason for living."

She shook her head, her jewelry tinkling with the motion. "But then, I got to know you. And I realized, for the first time, what I _really_ wanted. I didn't want to be a teacher, or a commander, like everybody back home had told me I wanted to be." Her grin grew, and she took a deep breath, steeling herself for her final admission.

"I want to sail across the stars. I want to fly. And I want to fly with you." Fox's breath caught in his throat as she finally spoke those final words that he had always dreamed of hearing, but had never dared dream would actually pass her lips.

 _A celo yei, Fox. It means… it means I love you._

All Fox could do was stare up in mute, breathless disbelief at the vixen above him. Krystal had just said the three words that every minute of every day, had been trapped at the very tip of his tongue, never quite able to make their way out into the open. The gears in his mind were trapped in an endless loop, processing the vixen's assertion, each time coming a millimeter closer to understanding the profundity of what she had just confessed to him. She loved him. A little closer. Krystal loved him. Almost there. Krystal had just admitted that she loved him.

That was the thought that finally caught fire. In an instant, his veins burned with a peace that had escaped him for years. A white-hot fire blazed in his chest, struck by the sparks of Krystal's confession. But… it wasn't a ferocious fire. It burned pure and hot, scouring away all of the self-doubt and questioning and worries that had ever plagued him. A content smile bloomed on his mouth, a small, indestructible smile that finally brought relief flooding into Krystal's face when she saw it. Fox stretched both of his hands up to the vixen, cupping her face in both hands.

"I love you, Krystal," he began, letting that pure, committed fire flare bright in his admission. It flowed freely from him now. He wouldn't hold anything back. "I love you more than anyone in my life. I love you more than piloting, I love you more than my own life. I love you because, when I first met you, I found a person who saw me as more than just 'James' boy'. I love you because you're the first person in my life who'd wanted to know who I am. I love you because I can be myself with you. I love you because you're the toughest, smartest person I've ever met. I love you because you care." Fox closed his eyes, focusing, and tapping back into their mental link.

 _I love you. It means... a celo yie, Krystal._

As soon as the words passed through their link, it was as if the dams of restraint had burst between the two of them. They both let out a pained, ecstatic whimper, distraught by the fact that any space at all separated them from each other. The pair lunged towards their partner, flinging their arms around each other, and locking in an iron embrace that they would never, ever let go of for the rest of their lives. Fox could feel Krystal's entire body tremble with joy in his arms, and he realized that he was shaking just as much as she was, overcome with pure jubilance. Hot tears streaked out of his eyes, landing in the soft blue fur of her shoulder. He heard Krystal gasping for breath in his arms, only barely able to restrain herself from weeping with elation. His own breath came in ragged bouts, and he only squeezed Krystal tighter against his chest, determined to never again release the greatest thing that had ever entered his life. He ran a hand through her hair, shushing her rough gasps for air, even as he could barely contain his own. Fire burned in his core, a desperation for the vixen in his arms that was all-consuming.

Only moments later, the two of them simultaneously crushed their lips together, rough and frenetic with need. There were no lustful intentions behind this kiss. This feeling that seared in his veins was that same, primal magnetism that had drawn him towards her before, only amplified a million fold. He reached one hand behind her head, pressing her even tighter up against his lips, molding them together again and again. She wrapped her legs around his, ensuring that their bodies laid flat against one another, as close as they could physically get.

The two foxes were bound into their kiss together for countless long minutes, desperately trying to vent the instinctual heat that had detonated in the cores of their souls. Their tongues danced together, sliding and embracing in dire desire. Eventually, the conflagration racing through their minds cooled, calming their frantic embrace slowly, until the two were simply lying one atop the other, still teasing and pecking each other with soft licks and nips. However, the entire time, their mental link was filled with nothing but the same three words, over and over and over again, only growing more spectacular with every iteration. They finally fell asleep arm in arm, wrapped in their shared nest of blankets, in their secret spot the rest of the world would never find, lulled into their shared unconsciousness by the metronome of their simple, repeated admission.

 _A celo yei._

 _I love you._

 _A celo yei._

 _I love you._

/

A/N: Look, smut! Kinda. I think this still falls into my patent pending smluff category, because this is still pretty dang fluffy! Anyway, I've been sitting on this one for a while, but I think this is the right time to release it. This was originally going to be my holidays one-shot, but I got distracted and Katt Got Your Tongue took over and excuses excuses I know, it's been too long since I've posted anything with these two goofballs. Well, here you go! I hope y'all enjoy it :)

This was actually a scene I had planned for a larger story, but I'm not sure I'll ever get to write it, so I wanted to at least be able to write this scene for it right now. I've had it stuck in my head for a long time now, so it's nice to finally be done with it!

As always, I owe a lot of thanks to my friend and co-author Furfur, I couldn't have done this without him helping look over it and point me in the right directions. A big shout out to Sanitarium here too, because the whole overarching idea for this story was only possible because of him. Thank you both! And go check them out if you aren't already for whatever crazy reason. Anyway, thanks for reading! Be on the lookout for more stuff soon. Bye bye!


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